[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2448 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2448

 To increase the minimum penalties for violations of the Federal Mine 
         Safety and Health Act of 1977, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

               March 16 (legislative day, March 15), 2006

  Mr. Durbin introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To increase the minimum penalties for violations of the Federal Mine 
         Safety and Health Act of 1977, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Mine Safety Enforcement, Reporting, 
and Training Act''.

SEC. 2. INCREASED MINIMUM PENALTIES FOR, AND IMMEDIATE PAYMENT OF, MINE 
              SAFETY VIOLATIONS.

    (a) Increased Minimum Penalties.--Section 110 of the Federal Mine 
Safety and Health Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 820) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (l) as subsection (m);
            (2) by inserting after subsection (k) the following:
    ``(l) Minimum Penalty.--The amount of a fine or civil penalty 
assessed for a violation of a mandatory health or safety standard or 
other provision of this Act shall be not less than $500.''; and
            (3) in subsection (g), by striking ``shall not be more than 
        $250'' and inserting ``shall be $500''.
    (b) Immediate Payment of Penalties.--Section 110(j) of the Federal 
Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 820(j)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: ``An operator shall pay a civil 
penalty owed under this Act promptly after such penalty is assessed and 
prior to contesting the penalty before the Commission or appealing the 
decision to the appropriate court.''.
    (c) Report.--Section 110 of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act 
of 1977 (30 U.S.C. 820) is further amended by adding at the end the 
following:
    ``(n) Report.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall annually prepare and 
        submit a report to Congress detailing, for the previous fiscal 
        year--
                    ``(A) the amount of fines assessed under this Act 
                for each operator;
                    ``(B) the amount of fines actually collected from 
                each operator; and
                    ``(C) the total amount of fines assessed, and the 
                total amount of fines collected, under this Act.
            ``(2) Availability on internet.--The Secretary shall post 
        the report described in paragraph (1) on the website of the 
        Department of Labor in a conspicuous and prominent location.''.

SEC. 3. INCREASING AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR HEALTH AND 
              SAFETY GRANTS.

    Section 503(h) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 
(30 U.S.C. 953(h)) is amended in the first sentence by striking 
``$10,000,000'' and inserting ``$20,000,000''.
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